This invention relates to an athletic head gear device and particularly to a guard for protecting the ears of wrestlers during practice and contests.
Amateur wrestlers are subjected to maneuvers and contact with the wrestling mat that can damage their outer ear. As a means of protecting against such injury, ear guard devices are in wide-spread use which have an energy absorbing reinforced cup shaped protector covering the ears. The ear guard which is presently the most popular in use includes an inner metal reinforcing plate surrounded by an energy absorbing cover. The cover is formed by cutting sheet foam material to form a piece covering the outside of the plate and a ring shaped piece for the inside. The foam pieces are bonded together at their outer periphery and then coated with a plastic or rubber material by dipping. This process provides a smooth rubberized outer surface for the cover. The coated foam cover is then deformed to envelop the reinforcement plate. Although such ear guards perform satisfactorily, there is a need for improvements in their design and fabrication. The outer cover has cut-out areas which provide access for connection of the head straps to the reinforcing plate which retain the ear guards in position on the user's head. Since the ear guards must fit tightly and be positioned properly on the wearer, when the wrestler dons the head gear, he typically adjusts the position of the ear guards by placing his fingers in the cut-out areas of the outer cover thus pulling on the outer cover to move the ear guards. Over a prolonged period of time, the repeated stress on the outer cover caused by adjustment of ear guard position causes the outer surface layer of the cover to crack and tear, ultimately degrading the appearance and function of the device. The ends of the retaining straps are usually tucked underneath the cover adjacent the cut-outs. In order to change strap tension, the end of the strap has to be pulled from under the cover and adjusted, which further leads to cover tearing over time. Another shortcoming of present designs having coated pads is that manufacturers are unable to carefully control surface finish of the ear guard. A smooth outer surface and a roughened inner surface are desirable to reduce the tendency of the ear guard to move from its adjusted position when contacted by the mat or an opponent. Furthermore, since the cover is formed by bonded foam sheets, it is difficult to reinforce its inner peripheral edge which is desired to reduce the tendency of the outer edge of the reinforcement plate to cut through the foam pads.
The improved ear guard in accordance with this invention overcomes the above mentioned shortcoming of the described prior art design. The subject ear guard has a molded outer skin cover which is sufficiently resilient to enable it to be deformed to envelop a metal inner reinforcement plate. The cover has reinforced marginal areas around the head strap cut-outs to provide strength and resistance to cover tearing. Since the outer skin cover is holded, designers can easily provide variations in its surface finish for enhanced performance. The outer surface has a glossy finish providing low frictional engagement with the opponent and the wrestling mat. However, the portions of the cover in contact with the wearer's head have a matte finish which provides enhanced frictional engagement with the user, thus maintaining the ear guard in its adjusted position during use. The inner peripheral edge of the cover is ribbed where it engages the outer edge of the reinforcement plate to reduce the likelihood of cutting through the cover.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.